Closure for milk or other cans.



Patented July l7, I900.

m. ALEXANDER. CLOSURE FOB MILK-0R OTHER CANS.

(Application filed Apr. 6, 1900.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES,

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MIOHAELIS ALEXANDER,

OF KONIT'Z, GERMANY.

CLOSURE F OR MILK OR OTHER CANS.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 654,044, dated July 17,1900.

Application filed April 6, 1900.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beitknown that LMIOHAELIS ALEXANDER, a subject of the Emperor ofGermany, residing at Konitz, Prussia, Germany, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Closures for Milk or other Cans, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention relates to closures for milk and other cans; andit consists of the details of construction hereinafter set forth, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In order to render the present specification easily intelligible,reference is had to the accompanyin g drawings, in which similar lettersof reference denote similar parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a milkcan, showing the cover inposition on the same. Fig. 2 is a similar section, drawn to a largerscale, of the cover of the can. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a key foropening the closure, and Fig. 4 is a plan of the cover.

The upper rim of the can is flanged outwardly, as at a, and the upperface of the said flange is provided with an annular groove which isfilled out with soft metal-such, for instance, as white metal or thelike-as indicated at b. The cover is slightly countersunk into the canand provided with a similar flangehavingadownwardly-extendingannularridge. f, adapted to fit onto theupper surface of the soft-metal ring let into the flange of the can. Thesaid cover is further provided with an upwardly-extending annular flangein which a series of radially-movable hook-stems are guided. At the endsof these stems hooks e e are provided, which are adapted to engage underthe lower conical surface of the canflange a, so that the more the saidhooks are tightened against the said conical flanges under surface themore the cover will be closed onto the top of the said flange. The stemsof the said hooks e pass into a circular housingf, arranged on the topof the cover and containing therein a rotary disk g, guided in suitablemanner. The ends of the said stems are turned upwardly and project intoeccentrically-arranged slots g in the said rotary disk. These slots areso arranged that when the cover is turned in one direction the hookswill all be actuated toward the flange a, and

Serial No. 11,851. (No model.)

the same has been turned to tighten the hooks- 6 under the flange a.

Two or more keyholes h h are provided in the cover of the housing,through which the teeth of a key, as illustrated in Fig. 3, may beinserted, so as to depress the spring icwhen it is required to turn thedisk back to release the hooks e e to open the can-cover.

The device is manipulated in the following manner: The cover is placedon the can, and the disk 9 is turned by suitable means, so as to pullall the hooks e 6 toward the flange a. The spring will then engage withits upwardly-turned end one of the depressions of the cover and retainthe said disk against turning back. If the cover is to be opened, thekey illustrated in Fig. 3 is inserted through the openings h h of thehousing f and the spring is depressed, whereupon the disk g is free tobe rotated back and release the hooks e e.

The closure described has several advantages. In the first place themore the ridge of the cover sinks into the soft-metal ring provided inthe can flange the more the hooks e 6 will draw the cover down onto thesame, so that the closure will always be tight, and in the second placeit will not be necessary to seal the cans, since the keys illustrated inFig. 3 may be varied in a great many ways, so that it will not bepossible to open any can unless the key is present.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of a can having an upperhorizontal flange and a ring of soft metal let into the same, a coverhaving a downwardly-extending ridge to fit onto the softmetal ring, aninclined under surface to the said can-flange and a series ofhorizontallymovable hooks mounted in the cover and means for pressingtheir free shanks against the said inclined under surface of the flangeto produce a wedging action substantiallyas described. 7

2. The combination of a can having an upper horizontal flange with, aconical under surface, a cover having a downwardlyextending annularridge, an annular ring of soft metal let into the upper surface of thesaid can-flange into which said ridge fits, a series ofradially-extensible hooks on the said cover having their free endsadapted to grip under the conical surface of the said flange, said hookshaving upwardly-turned rear ends, a rotary disk mounted in the saidcover having a series of eccentrioally-arranged slots into which theends of the said hooks fit and means for retaining, the said disk in aposition in which the hooks are tightened onto the can-flangesubstantially as described.

3. The combination of a can havinga horizontal upper flange with anannular ring of soft metal let into the same, a cover having adownwardly-extendin g ridge to engage said soft-metal ring, a series ofhooks radially guided in said cover and adapted to engage under the saidcan-flange, a housing on the said cover into which the shanks of thesaid hooks extend, a rotary disk in said housing having a, series ofeccentrically arranged slots into which the upturned ends of saidhook-shanks engage, a spring mounted in the bottom of said housing andhaving an upwardly-turned end to contact with the under surface of thesaid disk, a series of depressions in the under side of the said diskand openings in the said disk above the said spring to enable the sameto be depressed to disengage the disk substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twowitnesses.

MICI-IAELIS ALEXANDER. Witnesses:

HENRY IIASPER, WOLDEMAR HAUPT.

